1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mixing console having a sub-display which displays user-defined keys.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there have been mixing consoles for use in a concert hall or the like, the conventional mixing consoles controlling respective levels and frequency responses of audio signals output from a multiplicity of microphones and electric/electronic musical instruments placed on a stage or the like, mixing the controlled signals, and then transmitting the mixed signals to a power amplifier. By use of various kinds of panel operating elements provided on the conventional mixing console, a user of the mixing console controls respective tone volumes and tone colors of audio signals representative of tones of musical instruments and vocals to realize a state in which performances are most suitably represented. The mixing console has buses for mixing sound signals input from input channels, and output channels for outputting the mixed sound signals. The respective input channels control frequency response and mixing level of sound signals input to the input channels, and then output the controlled sound signals to the mixing buses. The mixing buses mix the input sound signals, and then output the mixed signals to their respective output channels. Respective outputs from the output channels are amplified to be emitted by speakers and the like.
The conventional mixing console is provided with user-defined keys to which a user can assign user's desired functions. As the user-defined keys, fixed hardware keys provided on a physical panel are used. An example of such user-defined keys is indicated in FIG. 10. An area where the user-defined keys indicated in FIG. 10 are provided is placed in a certain area of a physical panel 100. In the area, for example, user-defined keys 101 numbered 1 through 8 are arranged in two rows each having four user-defined keys from side to side. By manipulating one of the user-defined keys 101, a corresponding function assigned by the user to the manipulated user-defined key 101 is executed. In order to show the user the correspondences between the user-defined keys 101 and the assigned functions at a glance, the user is required to place notes such as vinyl tape on the physical panel 100 so that the user can write down respective names of the assigned functions on the tape with a pen or to keep displaying, on a main panel, a window dedicated to the display of the correspondences between the user-defined keys 101 and the names of the assigned functions.
In order to solve the above-described problem, there have been various conventional schemes in which user-defined keys are displayed on a touch panel display (e.g., Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-252369). One of the conventional schemes is designed such that a plurality of keys which serve as user-defined keys are displayed in the same display pattern, with the user-defined keys being assigned user's selected functions, respectively. The other conventional scheme is designed such that user-defined keys which are adjacent to each other, and to which functions correlated with each other are assigned are grouped so that the user-defined keys of each group will be displayed in a display pattern shared by the user-defined keys of the group.